Stark Tower Laboratory
Tony Stark was staring intently at the holographic projection of the nanostructure model, his fingers constantly moving in the air, adjusting the molecular arrangement.
His workbench was scattered with various metal fragments and energy cores, as well as a half-finished cup of coffee that had gone cold.
"Jarvis, pull up the seventh set of parameters," Tony said without lifting his head, dark circles clearly visible under his eyes.
"Sir, you have been working for 36 consecutive hours," Jarvis reminded him.
"According to the health protocol..."
"I wrote the health protocol, Jarvis," Tony said with a chuckle, waving his hand. "Now, the parameters."
The holographic projection immediately switched to a complex molecular structure diagram.
Tony narrowed his eyes and suddenly snapped his fingers excitedly. "This is it! The energy transmission nodes need to be rearranged!"
Just then, a voice suddenly sounded behind him. "You're going the wrong way."
"Ah!" Tony was so startled he almost jumped out of his chair, the tool in his hand clattering to the ground.
"Damn it! Xiao! Can't you just use the front door like a normal person?"
Xiao Han stood in the center of the laboratory, the golden patterns on his black battle suit faintly shimmering under the lights.
A hint of a smile played on his lips. "Sorry, it's a habit."
Tony rubbed his temples and picked up the dropped tool. "So, where did the great Mr. Superman go?"
Xiao Han walked towards the workbench and glanced at the holographic projection. "Kamar-Taj, the sacred land of magic on Earth."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "magic? I thought you'd had enough of those hocus-pocus tricks in Asgard."
"It's different."
Xiao Han shook his head, his finger lightly tracing the holographic projection. The molecular structure immediately rearranged into a completely new configuration.
"Asgardian magic is more like a combination of technology and divine power, while Kamar-Taj's magic is pure dimensional energy manipulation."
Tony stared at the reconfigured structure, his eyes gradually lighting up. "Wait... this energy transmission method..."
"More efficient, right?"
Xiao Han smiled. "magic and technology are essentially both the application of energy, just through different paths."
Tony suddenly turned and rushed towards another holographic terminal. "Jarvis! Record this structure! Recalculate the energy loss!"
Xiao Han watched the frenzied Tony and gently shook his head. "You research first, I still have something to deal with."
"Wait!"
Tony shouted without turning his head. "You haven't told me about that magical sacred place! Can they really conjure fireballs out of thin air? Or teleport with a wave of their hand like in the comics?"
"Pretty much."
Xiao Han shrugged. "But it requires the assistance of specific magical artifacts. Their Sorcerer Supreme wants me to take over her position."
Tony spun around abruptly, his eyes wide. "What? You're going to be a sorcerer?"
"I refused," Xiao Han said, walking towards the floor-to-ceiling window. "I have my own plan."
Tony breathed a sigh of relief, then asked curiously, "Is that Sorcerer Supreme very strong?"
Xiao Han thought of Ancient One's eyes that could see through time. "Much stronger than you imagine."
"Stronger than You?" Tony pressed.
Xiao Han was silent for a moment. "In some ways, yes."
This answer made Tony's expression turn serious. He put down his tool and walked over to Xiao Han. "How many more powerful beings are there in this World that I don't know about?"
"Many." Xiao Han looked out at the New York night view. "That's why I need to become stronger."
Tony nodded thoughtfully. "So what's your plan?"
Xiao Han didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "Do you know about Mutants?"
"Mutants?" Tony frowned.
"You mean those X-gene carriers? I've heard some rumors, but S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files have almost no reliable information."
"Because most of them live in seclusion in various places," Xiao Han said, turning towards the laboratory door.
"Perhaps I should go talk to them."
Tony followed a couple of steps. "Wait, why the sudden interest in Mutants?"
Xiao Han stopped and looked back at Tony. "Because in this World, Mutants are one of the few beings who could potentially threaten me.
I need to understand them, especially... a certain guy who can control magnetic fields." Xiao Han was just making things up; Magneto might be knocked out by one punch from him.
Xiao Han paused, then suddenly laughed. "But before that, I need to go teach a few naughty kids how to use their abilities."
"Kids?" Tony looked confused.
"A few children who unexpectedly gained superpowers," Xiao Han shrugged.
Tony wanted to ask more, but Xiao Han had already transformed into a black stream of light, passing through the glass window and disappearing into the night.
"Jarvis," Tony said, staring in the direction Xiao Han had left. "Pull up all the information on Mutants, especially those who can control magnetic fields."
"Pulled up, sir. But the information is very limited," Jarvis replied. "Should I contact Professor X?"
Tony raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Professor X? You mean the Dean of that Mutant Academy?"
"No, sir. But based on network trace analysis, he is very likely one of the Mutant leaders."
Tony walked back to the workbench, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Hold on. Let's get this structure Xiao gave us sorted out first. Once the nanotech armor is complete..."
He looked out at the night sky, a confident smile playing on his lips. "Perhaps I should go meet these Mutants too."
New York
Xiao Han hovered a kilometer high, his super hearing spreading out like an invisible radar network, capturing abnormal sounds from around the globe.
A minute ago, his super hearing had picked up three voices arguing intensely.
He adjusted his auditory frequency, locking onto the sound source location: a dilapidated industrial park in Brooklyn.
Abandoned Industrial Area
The setting Sun's afterglow fell on the open ground, where three college students stood by a pile of rubble, the atmosphere heavy.
Andrew squatted on the ground, his fingers unconsciously fiddling with a piece of gravel, making it float a few centimeters above his palm before gently lowering it.
He had heavy dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept well in a long time.
"We need to figure something out," Matt said in a low voice, pushing up his glasses. "That stone... it's not right."
"Not right?" Steve scoffed. "It gave us superpowers! This is a goddamn miracle, isn't it?"
"And Andrew almost throwing a car at someone last night is also a miracle?" Matt retorted.
Andrew suddenly looked up, a flicker of pain in his eyes. "I told you it was an accident! I just..."
His voice choked, his fingers trembling slightly, and the surrounding gravel began to vibrate.
"Hey, relax, brother," Steve frowned, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder, but Andrew violently shook him off.
"Don't touch me!"
The gravel suddenly exploded, scattering like bullets.
Whoosh!
A black Shadow silently descended.
All the scattered gravel instantly froze in mid-air, then slowly fell back to the ground.
All three of them froze simultaneously, looking up at the tall figure.
Black battle suit, golden patterns, and in the deep eyes, there was no anger, only a calm scrutiny.
"You're... the Superman who was with Tony Stark today..." Matt murmured, the tablet in his hand almost dropping to the ground.
Xiao Han didn't speak immediately, his gaze sweeping over the three of them before finally settling on Andrew.
The boy's eyes were red-rimmed, his fingers clenched tightly, like a string stretched to its limit.
"What did you find here?" Xiao Han asked, his voice gentle.
The three exchanged glances, and finally Matt spoke. "A... glowing stone. In the cave."
Xiao Han nodded, looking at the deep mine shaft. "Can you take me to see it?"